Mach GoGoGo (1997 anime series)

Mach GoGoGo (マッハGoGoGo), sometimes referred to as New Mach GoGoGo (新・マッハGoGoGo), is a 1997 remake of the 1967 anime series of the same name (aired as Speed Racer in the U.S.) by Tatsunoko Production, the original producers. The show aired in Japan in 1997 on TV Tokyo and lasted only 34 episodes of a planned 52.

In 1998, Speed Racer Enterprises planned to release an English dub of the series in the United States as Speed Racer Y2K, though the project did not succeed and only the third episode, "Silver Phantom", was dubbed.

Another English adaptation, Speed Racer X, was produced by DIC Entertainment Corporation & Speed Racer Enterprises and aired in the United States on Nickelodeon's short-lived action block, "SLAM!", in 2002. This show was quickly taken off the air (with only 13 episodes dubbed) due to a lawsuit between DiC Entertainment and the Santa Monica-based Speed Racer Enterprises, the company which owned the American rights to the franchise at the time.

The series got a Blu-ray release in Japan on April 21, 2017. Funimation released the series under the name Mach GoGoGo: Restart with English subtitles.

Differences from the original series
In this version, Rex Racer does not run away, but is presumed dead after an accident while testing out the Mach 5. His father, Pops, later rebuilds the Mach 5 with a new safety system called "Safety Seven", seven functions built into the car to protect the driver, marked by the letters A through G on the steering wheel. Rex's younger brother and Pops' second son, Speed, decides to follow up in his brother's footsteps. Trixie appears in this series as a reporter who befriends Speed, with Spritle being her younger brother (as opposed to being Speed's younger brother in the original).

There are also differences that exist even in the original Japanese version. Aside from Gō's different surname (Hibiki), other characters were replaced entirely, but have similar roles. For instance, Mai Kazami is the "Michi Shimura" (the original Trixie) of this series, with her younger brother Wataru representing "Kurio Mifune" (the original Spritle). Although Pops is still called Daisuke, Mom Racer (Aya Mifune in the original) is now known as Misuzu. In Episode 20, a baby gorilla named Rocky joins the cast, taking the role that in the original series was held by Sanpei, or Chim-Chim in the English dub. Sabu, Pops' apprentice mechanic and friend to Go in the original series has been replaced by Takumi, who has the same role. The English dub uses the same names from the original Speed Racer English dub, though the family's team is still called "Hibiki Motors".

The first 21 episodes form a story arc focusing on the Earth Grand Prix and the events leading up to it. The next 13 episodes formed a new story arc involving time traveling. When the Mach 5 hits 555 km/h, it sends Speed and his friends to the year 2555 where the world is ruled by a blue-skinned alien named Handler, who plans to use a device called the Ezekiel Wheel to rule time.

Japanese

 * Kōichi Tōchika - Go Hibiki (響 剛)
 * Kazusa Murai - Mai Kazami (風見 舞)
 * Motoko Kumai - Wataru Kazami (風見 ワタル)
 * Minoru Inaba - Daisuke Hibiki (響 大輔)
 * Yōko Sōmi - Misuzu Hibiki (響 美鈴)
 * Toshiyuki Morikawa - Masked Racer (覆面レーサー) / Kenichi Hibiki (響 健一)
 * Kaneto Shiozawa - Handler (ハンドラー)

English

 * Dave Wittenberg - Speed Hibiki-Racer
 * Dan Woren - Pops Racer
 * Tifanie Christun - Trixie and Spritle Kazami
 * Michelle Ruff - Mrs. Hibiki-Racer
 * Joshua Seth - Sparky
 * Richard Epcar - Racer X / Rex Hibiki-Racer

Other media
A two-volume manga adaptation was published on CoroCoro Comic in 1997. It is a kodomo manga aimed at a younger audience.

A video game based on the series was developed by TOSE and published by Tomy Corporation, exclusively in Japan for the Game Boy. The game also has Super Game Boy support.